OKC Thunder forward Jalen Williams has played in 20 games since recovering from a pair of offseason surgeries to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist.
With Oklahoma City nearly halfway through their season, it's safe to say that the All-Star has yet to return to full form.
J-Dub's lack of sharpness hasn't gone unnoticed. Head Coach Mark Daigneault has encouraged grace as the forward works to find his touch.
This week, Jalen Williams finally aired out frustrations for all to hear:
"I mean, it sucks. It's a very annoying process. Nobody is going to be more frustrated than me when shots are short.," Williams said. "This injury is not something where you get two hand surgeries and you’re good to go. It’s over the course of over the year, a year and a half, and have summers to really figure it out.”
His words might leave fans with more questions than answers at this point. OKC is atop the Western Conference and looking like a legitimate threat to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy for the second straight season, yet their second-leading scorer from last year is telling them that his recovery will take more than a year.
The sentiments are unnerving to say the least.
While Williams went on to mention how he can affect the game in other ways as he finds his shot again, it's hard to imagine the Thunder being able to "hide" J-Dub on offense come playoff time. When the stakes are at their highest, opposing teams will be ready to make shots, and OKC will need as much firepower on the court as they can to keep up.
Jalen Williams timeline makes Thunder repeat less likely
With Williams admitting he likely won't be at full strength for the Thunder's 2025-2026 playoff run, they are left with some decisions to make.
He's averaging four fewer points per game than last season, and has the third-lowest effective shooting percentage in the entire league among players averaging at least 30 minutes and having played at least 20 games.
With the forward admitting these trends will likely continue, fans have to wonder whether a temporary move is in order.
With the Thunder desperately searching for answers in the shooting department, it would make sense for them to consider unloading some assets to acquire more talent to help boost their perimeter scoring game, for example.
Regardless of trade-deadline activities in the coming weeks, Thunder fans may have a silver lining to cling to.
On Friday, J-Dub had arguably his best game of the season, scoring 26 points on 9-for-18 shooting with five rebounds and 10 assists in a thrilling victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
His success may have been due to coach Mark Daigneault making an obvious effort to put him on the floor with shooters. Aaron Wiggins played 32 minutes, Ajay Mitchell 38 minutes, and Kenrich Williams played over 20 minutes for just the second time in the past calendar month.
Granted, these role players saw more floor time on account of numerous injuries to Thunder starters, but OKC might have learned from this necessary lineup configuration.
Williams might not be the electric scorer he was in last year's playoff run, but he could serve as an elite defender, rebounder, and facilitator if he is playing with the right players around him.